Monday, June 12
Wait for it . . . Goooooooal! The Czech Republic has just scored again on this, the Greatest U.S. Soccer Team Ever, making the score 293. This was supposed to be the year the U.S. did something in the World Cup because apparently our team was ranked No. 5 in the world, but clearly we’re No. 1 when it comes to being rank. Anyway, the Czechs are scoring early and often; in fact, they just scored as I wrote that, and again as I wrote that. And right now. Though not now. But now. Anyway, it’s about this time that I’m glancing at TheOrange County Register’s sports section, and I see in the “Talkback” space this from reader Kevin Johnson of Mission Viejo: “It is a sad state of affairs. The World Cup game between Mexico and Iran is on ABC TV, while the USA vs. Czech game is relegated to ESPN2. What country do we live in?” What country, Kevin? I’ll tell you. It’s a little country called the United States of America, where we practice the most direct form of democracy known to man: capitalism. If you like something, you vote for it with your dollars. Non-Mexican-Americans clearly have not voted for soccer for some time, and therefore, the folks at Disney (which owns ABC and ESPN) wisely put the U.S. game on a cable network, while Mexicans and Mexican-Americans do vote, and so they watch, so they provide ratings, which provides ad revenue, which provides money to Disney. But maybe you’ve got a problem with money, Kevin. Maybe you’ve got a problem with democracy being, as you are, from a “master planned” community.

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World Cup fever. I've got it, but only just. i'm (unfortunately?) warming to the england team. being surrounded by anti-englishness is getting to me. they're kind of like canadians, we don't *really* hate them, but hating them has been a part of who we are for so long it is just what you do.

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i like the idea of being average, always have. maybe med school is where i can do that. hell, maybe i'll be below average. haven't been down there in almost 10 years. grreat.